Ron Newton supervises the restoration of Archie Badenoch by the South Australian Police Historical Society
South Australian Maritime Museum arranges Port River cruises on the former police water launch Archie Badenoch.
Image courtesy Dock One, Port Adelaide
Archie Badenoch, a vessel built in 1942 at the General Motors-Holden plant at Birkenhead, Port Adelaide, was bought by the South Australian police force in 1946. Originally for the World War II workboat program, the boat was used as a supply tender for the Royal Australian Navy around Port Adelaide.
The South Australian police department named the vessel to commemorate mounted constable Archibald “Archie” Badenoch, the first South Australian police officer killed in action World War II, in the battle for El Alamein, North Africa, in November, 1942. A sergeant in the 2/43rd Battalion, Archie was directing mortar fire from a forward position when an enemy shell exploded nearby, killing him instantly.
The police used their new vessel as their No.1 water police launch from 1946 to 1978. Archie was the force’s only all-weather deep-sea police patrol vessel and she helped save many lives in South Australia’s coastal waters in hundreds of water-borne rescues.
Although credited with an outstanding working record, in November 1978 she was replaced with a larger, more modern, vessel, the Warrendi. The next phase for the Archie Badenoch took her to Wardang Island, Spencer Gulf, where she was owned by the further education department and used by the local mission community.
Some years later, the launch fell into disrepair and was left abandoned. In 1985, she was salvaged by the South Australian Police Historical Society, to be faithfully restored. After two years work, supervised by the vessel’s former master, South Australian water police senior constable Ron Newton, custody of the Archie was handed to the South Australian Maritime Museum.
Fitted with a 115hp Perkins diesel, Archie Badenoch was surveyed to carry 24 passengers plus crew on cruises along the Port River as arranged by the museum.
